882 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 15 



One or two whiffs blown over the tops of 

 the frames — not down between the combs, is 

 quite sufficient for the average Italian col- 

 ony. A great manj' bee-keepers do not use 

 aquilt; and when a cover-sealing is broken, 

 the bees at the top ma^' resent the intrusion, 

 and it is well then to give them notice that 

 they had better stand back. Nor is it nec- 

 essary to blow^ their ej-es out to do it. 

 Smoke properlj' used with proper manage- 

 ment will not harm in the lei-st any bees. 

 But I sometimes think the practice of smok- 

 ing bees out of comb-honey supers, blowing 

 quantities of it down through the super, is 

 carried to the extent of cruelty ; and if an 

 agent of the Humane Society were present 

 he might cause a stay of proceedings, and 

 rightly too. The modern escape will do 

 awaj' with a great amount of smoking; but 

 there are times and circumstances when one 

 is in a hurry at an outyard, when more 

 smoke can be used — enough to drive, but 

 not enough to cause excessive pain to our 

 poor little friends. Coggshall's method of 

 snuffing smoke down into the brood-nest 

 with a quilt, a very little of it, I am sure, 

 would never cause an}' pain, and yet would 

 save a good deal of time. 



Regarding the value of drones as heat- 

 producers, there are some who would take 

 issue with j'ou, notably C. P. Dadant. 

 See page 872. — Ed.] 



WINTER HIVE PROTECTION. 



Winter^cases of Strawboard; is the Plan Feasible? 



BY D 3. THOMAS. 



From this latitude, north, we need some 

 outside protection for our bees in winter; 

 j'et few use anj' thing — mainly, I think, be- 

 cause of the relatively high first cost, then 

 the later bother of storage. I don't see any 

 way of remedying either evil so long as we 



D. P, THOMAS* STRAWBOARD WINTER-CASE. 



depend upon wooden cases. But why de- 

 pend upon wood whtn thick cardboard is 

 so cheap, light, and strong? The cases 



could be made to fit too close for the pack- 

 ing material (cut straw) to run out at the 

 bottom, and about two inches larger at the 

 top. The corners might be fastened vy'ith 

 tin — the kind with edges like sawteeth, 

 which go through the board and clinch. 

 Made in this way, almost any number 

 might be nested and shipped in a small 

 crate. Also the economy in storage and 

 handling is at once apparent. The obj c- 

 tion might be raised that the sides would 

 spring out when the packing material was 

 put in; but I think that could be nearly ob- 

 viated by packing the corners first and do- 

 ing it pretty tight, then filling the middle 

 not quite so tight. 



THOMAS' STRAWBOARD WINTER-CASE DIS- 

 SECTED. 



The covers could be made like ordinary 

 box-covers, with the rims flaring, so they 

 too would nest. They would fasten on with 

 small inexpensive tin fastenings ; and a 

 small wire at each end of the case, fasten- 

 ed to these same tins, would prevent the 

 cases from slipping down too far over the 

 hive. Two coats of good paint on the out- 

 side would complete the job, and make a 

 light, inexpensive, wind-proof, weather- 

 proof winter-case, twenty of which could be 

 packed in the space ordinarily required by 

 two. 



Odin, Mo., July 23. 



[Although lumber is very high, and get- 

 ting higher in price, it is my impression 

 that a winter-case made of .^s boards would 

 be still cheaper than one made of straw- 

 board, unless the material were used so 

 thin as to be unsuited for the purpose. A 

 strawboard case as here illustrated ought 

 not to be made of material less than yi 

 thick, and t\ would be better. If properly 

 painted and carefully handled, both when 

 putting on in the fall and taking off in the 

 spring, it ought to last a good while, and 

 give good service. The time may come 

 when we shall /lave to use strawboard or 

 some material which can be grown inside 

 of a year. — Ed.] 



